This invention relates to plastic bags, and more particularly to a high strength plastic bag.
Plastic bags have been widely used to contain various articles. Such plastic bags include tamper-indicating bags, which have been used to secure sensitive or valuable items during transit. These tamper-indicating bags have often been used to transfer money in the form of paper money, checks, or coins. The use of plastic bags to transfer coins presents several problems, however. For example, when plastic bags are used to accommodate more than a small number of coins, the bags need to be strong so they do not rupture under the weight of the coins. To make carrying the bag easier, the plastic bags require a means for grasping the bag. Prior plastic bags having handles to permit a user to grasp the bags are limited with respect to the amount of coins which may be contained in the bag because the heavy weight of a large number of coins tends to tear the bag at the handle. Furthermore, conventional plastic bags are susceptible to sliding against one another, making it difficult to stack the bags atop one another.
There is thus a need for a high strength plastic bag which may be used to contain and transport coins, and which overcomes the drawbacks of prior art plastic bags.
The present invention provides a high strength plastic bag which may be used to contain and carry heavy items, such as coins. The bag is formed from two sheets of polymeric material which have been, folded, die stamped, and heat sealed to create a receptacle portion, a handle portion, and a flap portion. The handle portion of the bag includes an aperture which permits a user to grasp the bag and comprises three sheets of high strength polymeric material that have been joined with heat seals to provide added strength to the handle.
The flap portion of the bag covers an opening to the receptacle and may be sealed over the opening with a tamper-evident adhesive to secure the bag. In one aspect of the invention, the flap portion further includes a removable receipt which may be detached from the bag for record keeping purposes. In another aspect of the invention, a second removable receipt is formed on the handle portion of the bag.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the bag is formed from polymeric material having a high friction coefficient so that the bags may be stacked atop one another without slipping.